Questionable "Self-Help" Products

Stephen Barrett, M.D.

Many tapes, books, and devices have been marketed with claims
that they inspire people to function better mentally, improve
relationships with others, relieve anxiety or depression, or achieve
other desirable emotion-related goals. Gerald Rosen, Ph.D., former
chairman of the American Psychological Association's Task Force
on Self-Help Therapies, has noted the following:

Although some of these materials may be helpful, most have
not been tested for validity.

Many self-help materials are promoted with extravagant and
ethically questionable claims.

The fact that a technique is useful as part of a therapy
program does not mean it will work as a self-help measure. Self-help
books are more likely to be helpful during periods of therapy
than at other times.

Few self-help books offer protection against failing to comply
with instructions. Should failure occur, readers may inappropriately
blame themselves, become skeptical that they can be helped, and
fail to seek professional help.

Subliminal Tapes

Thousands of videotapes and audiotapes purported to contain
repeated messages are being marketed with claims that they can
help people: lose weight, stop smoking, enhance athletic performance,
quit drinking, think creatively, raise IQ, make friends, reduce
pain, improve vision, restore hearing, cure acne, conquer fears,
read faster, speak effectively, handle criticism, relieve depression,
enlarge breasts, and do many other things. At least one company
has offered subliminal tapes for children, including a toilet-training
tape for toddlers. Many tapes contain music said to promote relaxation.
Most are claimed to contain messages that are inaudible or barely
audible, but some are barely or fully audible. Videotapes may
feature images, said to be relaxing, combined with repeated visual
messages shown so briefly that they cannot be seen at normal playing
speed.

Many researchers have found that subliminal tapes provide no
benefit to the user. One who tested tapes from several companies
concluded that they contained no embedded messages that could
conceivably influence behavior [1]. A research team tested volunteers
for a study of tapes said to improve memory and self-esteem, but
switched the tapes for half of the participants (to create a control
group). Regardless of the tape used, about half of the volunteers
claimed to achieve the results they were told to expect-but objective
tests of memory and self-esteem showed no change [2]. A National
Research Council committee has concluded that although many people
claim that subliminal self-help tapes contribute to self-improvement,
there is no scientific evidence to support such claims [3]. Thus
there is no reason to believe that musical tapes with subliminal
messages can do anything more for physical or mental well-being
than listening to ordinary music. There is no scientific evidence
that messages which cannot be heard are unconsciously or subconsciously
perceived or can influence behavior [4].

Biofeedback Gadgets

Battery-operated skin-temperature monitors ($20 to $80) and
devices that measure muscle or brain-wave activity ($200 to $400)
have been marketed through the mail for home use. The Harvard
Health Letter has warned that such devices have not been systematically
evaluated and are likely to "have a short working life before
they wind up in a closet or attic, gathering dust" [5]. Tests
on home biofeedback devices claimed to help people manipulate
their alpha waves have shown that the devices actually responded
to the user's eye movements or to interference from household
electrical currents.

"Brain Wave Synchronizers"

Several companies have marketed gadgets that deliver flashing
lights and sounds through modified eyeglasses and headphones.
The devices are hazardous because flashing lights can trigger
epileptic seizures in susceptible individuals, including some
with no prior history of seizures. In 1992 the FDA received a
complaint that a device of this type (the "Relaxman Synchroenergizer")
had caused a 21-year-old woman to have her first seizure. The
device had been marketed with unsubstantiated claims that it could
improve digestion and sexual function and control pain, habits,
and addictions. In 1993 the FDA initiated a seizure of the manufacturer's
entire supply, which a judge subsequently ordered destroyed [6].
The FDA also stopped the marketing of "InnerQuest Brain Wave
Synchronizer," which had been claimed to provide diet control,
stress relief, pain relief, and increased mental capacity [7].
The FTC and four state attorneys general recently settled complaints
against Zygon International, Inc., which had claimed that users
of "The Learning Machine" would learn foreign languages
overnight, quadruple their reading speed, expand their psychic
powers, build self-esteem, and replace bad habits with good ones
[8]. There is no scientific evidence that any device can help
people by synchronizing the two sides of the brain or increasing
the frequency of alpha waves (a type of brain wave) [9].

Self-Help Instructional Programs

Many entrepreneurs use cable television infomercials to promise
that their instructional materials can increase self-confidence,
improve people's performance, and bring success in various ways.
A 1995 article in Forbes magazine noted that "inspirational"
programs may serve a useful purpose if they enable someone to
act more decisively [10]. However, the programs have not been
validated by scientific studies and probably will not help most
people who buy them.

Bach Remedies

These are homeopathically prepared (highly dilute) products
said to have been developed during the 1930s by Edward Bach, a
British bacteriologist and homeopath [11,12]. Ellon USA, Inc.,
of Lynbrook, New York, states that Bach "believed that the
only way to cure illness was to address the underlying emotional
causes of disease." This company markets an "emergency
rescue formula" for "calming and stabilizing emotions"
and a line of 38 "flower remedies" said to alleviate
negative emotions. The Rescue Remdy is also said to be "of
great benefit to all animals, no matter how large or small"
and "useful in easing the trauma of transplanted plants,
falling flowers, or injured trees." [11] The various remedies
can be selected using Ellon's 116-item "self-help questionnaire."
Someone who feels overwhelmed with work, for example, is advised
to take the product called Elm, whereas someone who has
strong opinions and is easily incensed by injustices is advised
to use Vervain. An Ellon competitor describes its Rescue
Remedy as "the one product you need to take care of all
kinds of emergency emotional stress." This company's catalog
states that this product "helps center the emotions until
the crisis is past" and depicts it as useful for: (a) a woman
under stress because her computer "froze," (b) a mother
coping with a cranky toddler, (c) the partner of a doubles tennis
player who missed a few shots, (d) participants in a minor auto
accident, and (e) a man racing to board a plane who suddenly realizes
he forgot to pack his suit and left his keys and ticket at home.
A few companies market additional products they say are based
on Bach's principles.

Flower remedies are also promoted through books, seminars,
private practitioners, and telephone consultations. Some proponents
state that the remedies can "balance out the body's subtle
energy fields" and "prevent disease before physical
symptoms develop." Of course, neither the theories nor the
products make any sense.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy involves the use of aromatic oils from plants to affect mood or promote health. The oils are administered in small quantities through inhalation, massage, or other applications to the skin. Aromatherapy products include diffusers, lamps, pottery, candles, pendants, earrings, shampoos, skin creams, lotions, bath salts, and shower gels. The aromatic oils are alleged to contain hormones, antibiotics, and antiseptics, and to represent the “life force,” “spirit,” or “soul” of the plant. Some proponents claim that aromatherapy is a complete medical system that can “revitalize cells,” strengthen defense mechanisms, and cure the cause of disease. Others promote the products as useful for sharpening mental function or coping with stress. Although pleasant odors may enhance a person’s effort to relax, there is no scientific evidence that they can improve mental function or influence the course of any disease [13]. In 2000, in a false advertising case, a California court approved a consent agreement under which the manufacturer was barred from claiming that certain products would "sharpen the mind," "freshen the mind," "make the mind more alert," "create sustained intellectual power," "increase mental concentration, or "address the physical effects of stress." [14]